‘It’s like I’ve been marked DNR, and not told.’
‘It’s like I’ve been marked DNR, and not told.’ Stephen and I are of an age. He’s 57 years old. He became disabled, for want of a better term, a year or so ago, when he spectacularly fell down a flight of stairs and waited hours for an ambulance. Stephen is an eloquent writer who doesn’t pull his punches. A horrified Twitter audience watched as he documented his fall, wait and subsequent rehabilitation. His humour is dry, self deprecating and peppered with expletives. Tonight, he announced that he’s had enough - that he’s going to kill himself. But not because of his pain levels, not because of his diabetes, nor his impeded mobility. Stephen wants to kill himself because of the failure of the health care system. And you know what? I don’t blame him. Not one little bit. Here’s a succinct version: Stephen is diabetic and depends on Ozempic, a non insulin medication for diabetics, as well as Endone, an opioid medication for chronic pain. His regular GP, in Dubbo, left suddenly. His S...